Royal Mail to increase price of first-class stamp to £1.70

The price of a first-class stamp is to rise by 5p from 7 April, Royal Mail said. Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

Royal Mail is to increase the cost of first- and second-class stamps for what will be the sixth time in little more than three years.

From 7 April, the price of a first-class stamp will increase by 5p, or 3%, to £1.70. The cost of the second-class service is going up by 2p, or 2.4%, to 87p.